by Bob Nightengale, USA TODAY Sports

by Bob Nightengale, USA TODAY Sports

CHARLESTON, S.C. - Fans stood outside the main gate at Joseph P. Riley Park at 11 in the morning, and four hours later when Alex Rodriguez stepped outside his Mercedes-Benz, stopping to sign autographs, they shrieked in disbelief.

"The greatest day of my life," says Shawn Bensley, 38, wearing a replica of Rodriguez's uniform that he autographed. "Well, the greatest since I saw Dave Righetti throw a no-hitter."

The news of Rodriguez's arrival created such commotion Tuesday that his first rehab game with the Class A Charleston RiverDogs sold out in two hours - 8,255 fans showing up on two-for-$20 Date Night. A front-page headline, "A-Rod Comes to Town" was splashed across the local newspaper. RiverDogs GM Dave Echols purposely let the battery on his cellphone die from all of the calls.

And the fans gave Rodriguez a standing ovation when he simply ran onto the field for pregame warm-ups.

"You see how excited the people are here," says Gene Budig, a former American League president who is part-owner of the RiverDogs. "They're hoping to see A-Rod the player, A-Rod the personality, and in a real sense, he's bigger than life."

Yes, for at least a night Tuesday, it was like old times, resurrecting memories when Rodriguez was the biggest star in the game, a must-see attraction and the man preordained to become baseball's all-time home run king.

It was as if everyone in these parts forgot that A-Rod's greatness disappeared years ago, that he was last publicly seen hitting .120 in the 2012 postseason, booed and benched for his dismal performance.

Rodriguez made sure to remind everyone in his first game in nine months. He grounded into a double play in his first at-bat and struck out looking at a fastball in his second and final at-bat. He'll play one more game in Charleston today and is tentatively scheduled to play again Friday in Lakeland, Fla.

Yes, Rodriguez says, he will need to exhaust his entire 20-game rehab stint before he can return.

"It's a slow process," Rodriguez says. "I've never been out this long before. It almost feels like March 1. I'm not really worried about timing, but getting in baseball shape. I've got 19 more games."

After what Rodriguez has endured the last eight months, living with a tortured soul since last year's postseason, what's another three weeks?

"Look, let's be honest, the way the year ended last year was pretty bloody," Rodriguez said. "We got swept. I got benched. I got pinch-hit for. And I've got nobody to blame but myself because I stunk up the house, that's for sure.

"So with that, you think about it for eight or nine months. That's enough to fuel you to come back and hopefully be a player that can help a team and be an impact in the middle of the lineup."

The most frustrating aspect, Rodriguez says, is the unknown. He has gone through a painful and grueling rehab process since having hip surgery in January. He thinks he's ready, but the next three weeks will make the determination for him.

"Look, I'm as curious as you guys are to see how I'm going to react," Rodriguez said. "We're all intrigued to see how my body is going to react, and see if there's a big difference from the way I ended last year, to how I'm going to play this year.

"I've got to be realistic with myself. I'm almost 38, not 28. It's been a long time since I've done anything. I know I only have a 20-game window to get back to New York and help my team win."

If Rodriguez were still a betting man, yes, he would bet on himself. Then again, those extravagant poker days are supposed to be over. Now, he's got himself in a bit more hot water with the commissioner's office.

Rodriguez is in the crosshairs of Major League Baseball's investigation with the now-shuttered Biogenesis Clinic, which allegedly sold and administered performance-enhancing drugs to at least 90 major league and minor league players.

"We're waiting to see what's next," says Rodriguez, who divulged that he has yet to speak to investigators, "and we've been kind of instructed that any comments will come from the commissioner's office."

It makes no sense for Rodriguez to worry about any investigation, not with a rehab assignment to navigate.

"It's going to be a challenge," Rodriguez said. "This probably has been the hardest injury that I've had to overcome and rehab, but I feel very confident. I worked extremely hard to get myself to be in a position to be successful, and simply to be one of the guys to help the guys win.

"I know if that I'm healthy, and I feel good, I can make our team better, and I'm looking forward to that challenge.''

And, perhaps even more important, Rodriguez says, is that he thinks he has the support of the Yankees organization. His teammates. The coaching staff. Manager Joe Girardi. The Steinbrenner family, which has seen attendance drop 6% and TV ratings plummet 40% this season.

Yes, even general manager Brian Cashman, who used an expletive and told him to shut up last week when Rodriguez sent out a tweet saying that he received medical clearance to start playing.

"We've had several very productive conversations, which have included the (rehab) announcement," Rodriguez said. "Right now, everybody's lined up. We've got the same interest, the same goal, which is to get back to New York as soon as possible."

Maybe, the folks in Charleston at least reminded A-Rod he has fan support. They cheered him wildly every time they saw him; he returned the hospitality by signing autographs for 30 minutes after exiting the game.